Two fire volunteers were hurt while around 600 families were left homeless by a fire that gutted houses in Tondo, Manila on Thursday night, March 21.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said a 17-year-old fire volunteer sustained lacerations on his right middle finger, while 30-year-old fire volunteer sustained a puncture on his right foot.
The BFP said the fire started at around 10:34 p.m. from a temporary housing building in Barangay 105, Aroma Street, Tondo.
The fire was raised to the first alarm at 10:36 p.m. and was elevated to the second alarm at 10:39 p.m.
It escalated to the third alarm at 10:51 p.m. and quickly reached the fourth alarm at 10:57 p.m.
Authorities said the fire was raised to the fifth alarm at 11:19 p.m.
They were able to put the fire under control on Friday, March 22, at 12:44 a.m.
It took almost five hours before authorities officially declared the fire out at 5:26 a.m.
The BFP said the fire razed over 200 houses, of which 140 were totally damaged and 60 were partially damaged.
The fire allegedly started from the second floor of a two-story house in Building 29 where around 1,800 individuals were affected.
At least P6.5 million was the estimated cost of damage to property, the BFP added.
There were reports that some residents broke a fire truck's windshield.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.